Porter ALLUM

  General Notes:

Photo: Porter's time and weather-worn stone has been in Enon Cemetery, Richhill Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania since 1981 when it was removed from Supler Cemetery.

Credit for Gravestone Photo: Greene County, Pennsylvania Cemeteries CD No. 3 by James Fordyce, 2002




1840 BIRTH of Porter Allum

(In 1840, William Henry Harrison was elected President of the United States. He did, however, die just 31 days into office after contracting pneumonia from the cold day in March, 1841, on which his inaugural in Washington, D. C. had taken place. "Old Tippecanoe," as he was called, chose not to wear a coat for the ceremony. In 1840, daguerrotype studios opened across America. The technique, imported from France, required the subject to sit immobile for several minutes. For the first time, the U. S. post office issued stamps to be affixed to letters. Between 1830 and 1840 the nation's population had grown by almost one-third to over 17 million. Missouri tripled, Indiana and Alabama doubled, and New York remained the most populous state with 2.4 million. The United States had 2,818 miles of railroad and 3,326 miles of canals. Sixty-nine percent of America's workers were in agriculture.)

1840 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (with parents)

11 people are in the household in 1840:

1 male 40-50 (father Charles)
1 male 20-30 (son John) (sons William, born 1817, and Thomas, born 1818, are documented in their own households in Richhill Township in 1840)
1 male 15-20 (son James "Jimmy," born 1822)
1 male 10-15 (son Isaac, born 1828)
1 male under 5 (son Porter, born 1840)
1 female 40-50 (mother Jemima, born 1795)
2 females 15-20 (daughters Delila, born 1823, and Peninah, born 1825)
1 female 10-15 (daughter Hannah, born 1827)
2 females under 5 (Should the census category have really been "2 females 5-10"? If so, they would have been daughters Pamelia and Eliza)

1850 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (September 9) ("Porter," age 10, is with his father Charles) (Porter's mother Jemima, age 54, is in a separate household with her daughter Hannah, age 23; Jemima and Hannah are next door to Jemima's son James, age 28, and wife Rebecca, age 28)

1859 DEATH of mother, Jemima (Barnhart) Allum

1860 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township (June 6) ("Porter," age 20, "Farm laborer," is with his father Charles) ("Allums" in some census indexes)

1863 MARRIAGE of Porter Allum and Louisa J. Jones on August 19 in West Alexander, Washington County, Pennsylvania by John C. Harvey, Esq., J.P.

1868 DEATH of father, Charles W. Allum on April 2

1868 WILL prepared and signed by Porter Allum on April 4

1868 DEATH of Porter Allum (in May) at 27 years 11 months 22 days (using May 14 as Porter's date of death)

Cause of death: "Consumption contracted in the service from cold and measles" --military pension record

Shirley Allum Hudlicky, August 14, 1964 letter to DeeAnna:

"The 21st of May is the date given for Porter's death in his military records."

His gravestone is engraved "May 14". --DeeAnna

(Porter died only a few weeks after the death of his father, Charles W. Allum. Many events of the year 1868 are noted in the Charles W. Allum section of this online genealogy. Also in 1868, in Wisconsin three men applied for a patent for a "typewriter" at the same time Thomas A. Edison, elsewhere in the country and while working for Western Union, received a patent for an electric vote-recording machine. Suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony created a weekly journal titled THE REVOLUTION. The Woman Suffrage Amendment was introduced to Congress and defeated. Unrestricted Chinese immigration into the country was authorized by Secretary of State William Seward; almost all Chinese immigrants would become laborers helping build railroads in the West. Wells Fargo, the stagecoach line founded in 1852, was granted a subsidy by the U. S. government for daily mail service to California. The run was 2,700 miles with relay stations every 18 to 30 miles. Stagecoaches carried up to 15 passengers and traveled at speeds of 3 to 12 miles per hour.)

1868 BENEFICIARY in will of father, Charles W. Allum (Charles died in April; money designated for Porter went to Porter's children)

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1870 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, West Finley Township, Claysville (June 29) ("Louisa," age 26, is with Lewis Jones and her Allum children, Everly, age 4, and Eliza, age 2) (Louisa's maiden name was Jones, and Lewis Jones was her elder brother) (Children "Phoeba" and "Samuel" are designated "Allum" in the 1870 census but appear as children of Lewis Jones in the 1880 census)

1880 CENSUS. Where?

1882 BIRTH of son Ellis to Louisa (Jones) Allum and Milton Lindley; the couple did not marry. The book, HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENSYLVANIA by Boyd Crumrine, L. H. Everts & Company, Philadelphia, 1882, page 339, War of the Rebellion chapter, provides the brief information, "Milton Lindley, must. in Nov. 20, 1862."

1900 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, West Washington Borough (June 7) ("Louisa Allum," age 55, widow, "Dressmaker," is head of her own household with son Ellis Lindley, age 18, "Tin mill," residing with her) (Louisa is shown as the mother of 3 children, all 3 children living in the year 1900)

1910 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, West Washington Borough (April 20) ("Louisa Allum," "Dressmaker") (Louisa's age is not discernible, but she would have been about 65) (She is documented as the mother of 3 children, 2 children living in the year 1910; her daughter Eliza had passed on)

1920 CENSUS, Arkansas, Benton County, Osage Township (January 19) ("Louisa J. Allum," age 75, no occupation, is with Jones) (Louisa's maiden name was Jones) (census January, 1920)

1920 DEATH of Louisa (Jones) Allum at 75 years 11 months 29 days (using June 4 as her date of death) or 75 years 11 months 30 days (using June 5 as her date of death) (Woodrow Wilson was President)

Louisa's death certificate documents her death on June 5, but her obituary provides "Friday, June 4." June 4 was, in fact, on Friday in the year 1920.

Cause of death: "Acute Indigestion" --obituary and death certificate

DOCUMENT: State of West Virginia Death Certificate No. 5776 for "Mrs. Lou Allum," informant, "E. E. Allum" (Louisa's son)




DESCRIPTION: No physical description of Porter is in his military record

MILITARY SERVICE: Civil War, Private, Company C, 18th Regiment, PENNSYLVANIA Volunteer Infantry

Shirley, May 13, 1998 letter:

"On May 30, 1965 Patty Houston copied for us gravestones from the Supler cemetery and others. She provided Porter's company as 'G.' We have pension papers that say Company 'C' and also graves registration providing 'C.' When I visited Pennsylvania later in 1965 and again in 1966, I went to Supler cemetery and had a look for myself. In comparing the letters in the inscription it was obvious that the 'G'/'C' was, in fact, a 'C.' It was identical to the 'C' in 'Company' and the 'C' in 'Cavalry,' even though all by itself it was seen by some as 'G.' "

MILITARY PENSION RECORD: No. WC 162 726

CHURCH AFFILIATIONS: Porter--Enon Baptist Church; Louisa--West Washington Methodist Church




OBITUARY (Louisa) from an undocumented 1920 newspaper:


MRS. LOUISA ALLUM

Mrs. Louisa Allum, aged 76 years, died suddenly Friday, June 4, at the home of F. Taylor, Wheeling, W. Va. where she had been visiting for a week. Mrs. Allum had spent the past year and a half with her sister-in-law in Arkansas and on her way home had stopped over for a short visit with friends in Wheeling. While there she was stricken with an attack of acute indigestion and soon passed away. She had been a resident of Washington for the past 30 years making her home recently with her son, Everly Allum, 264 Fayette street. She was a member of the West Washington M.E. church. Funeral services conducted by Mrs. Mary E. Harris, of the Nazarene Mission, will be held at the home of her son, 264 Fayette street, this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock. Interment will be in the Washington cemetery.



DOCUMENT:


WILL OF PORTER ALLUM OF GREENE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, No. 2406, Will Book 4, page 228:


In the name of God amen I Porter Allum of gree (sic) County and State of Pennsylvania being sick and weak in body but of sound mind memory and understanding praised be to god for it considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thareof (sic) and to the end I may be the better prepared to leave this world whenever it Shall please god to call me hense (sic) do tharefore (sic) make and declare this my last will and testement (sic) in maner (sic) following that is to say first and principaly (sic) I commend my sole (sic) into the hands of the almighty god my creater (sic) and as to my personal property I give and bequeath to my wife Louisa Allum all of my personal property as long as she lives and after hir (sic) death it must be equely (sic) divided betwen my childern (sic) if eny (sic) thing left. I then command my funeral expenses Dr. bills and all of my just debts be all paid then it is my will and desier (sic) that all of the money that is a coming from my fathers estate I want my excuter (sic) to put it into land and if it is not put into land he is to put it out on intrust (sic) and the executer (sic) to aply (sic) intrust (sic) to the suppor (sic) of the family and if in land then my executer (sic) is to let my wife live on the land as long as she lives if she desiers (sic) to do so and he is to se (sic) that the farme (sic) is taken care of and if she do not want to live on the land he is to rent the land and the rent to be applyde (sic) to the supporte (sic) of the family and it is my will if all of my childern (sic) Should die before my wife I want hir (sic) to have all my wellth (sic) after my executer (sic) all expenses paid I desier (sic) that all debts and clames that are a coming from my fathers estate and else Whare (sic) to be applyed (sic) to the suport (sic) of my family and I do hereby nominate constitute and appointe H. C. Feaster of greene County and state of pennsylvania executor of this my pennsylvania guardeen (sic) over all of my Childern (sic) and do allso (sic) hereby nominate constitute and appoint H. C. Feaster of the County and state of aforesaid executor of this my last will and testiment (sic) in witness whereof I the Said testator have to this my last will and testament set my hand and seal the 4th day of Aprile (sic) A.D. 1868

(Signed) Porter Allum (Seal)

Signed seald (sic) published and declaird (sic) by the Said testator as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us who in his preasance (sic) and at his requeste (sic) and in the presence of each oher (sic) have subscribed our names as witnesses thareto (sic)

(Signed) Zenas S. Burnfiel
(Signed) Henry Wise

State of Penna
Greene County
Before me P. Brown Register for the probate of wills and granting Letters of Administration in and for said County personally came Zenas S. Burnfiel and Henry Wise the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing will who being duly sworn according to law say they were present and saw and heard the testator Porter Allum Sign seal publish pronounce and declare the foregoing instrument of writing as and for his last Will & Testament and that at the time ofso (sic) doing he was ofsound (sic) mind memory and understanding to the best of their knowledgeobservatoin and belief and that they signed the same as witnesses at his request, in his presence, and in the presence of each other.
Sworn & Subscribed (Signed) Zenas S. Burnfiel
May 25, 1868 (Signed) Henry Wise
P. Brown
Register (sic)



Shirley Allum Hudlicky:

"[In the court documents] it is interesting to see how James Allum and H. C. Feaster made rules to show cause against each other. James finally did get the job of guardian. I don't know what happened to Eliza but, before I found these records, I was told both by Fred Allum and Charlie Swart that 'Uncle Jimmy' had raised Everly."

Porter married Louisa J. JONES, daughter of Samuel P. JONES and Mary Nebkin VANCE, on August 19, 1863 in West Alexander, Washington County, Pennsylvania. (Louisa J. JONES was born on June 6, 1844 in Pennsylvania, died in June 1920 in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia and was buried on June 7, 1920 in Washington Cemetery, Washington County, Pennsylvania.)